The Earth-Demon
by rainswings
Summary: Because the world definitely needs another OC fanfiction, here you go. The daughter of a demon meets the exorcists. Stuff happens. Rin x OC, because what else would you expect. Not all characters are safe, and this will have some seriously dark themes. I'll try to keep it T, but may slip into M at times. Forgive me. Bad at summaries. tw: yes, probably. Please read, you might like.
1. Chapter 1

((This story starts around E 19: An Ordinary Day, sans the call at the end. Basically, Everyone knows Rin is a demon, no one really cares. They're a close knit group again, and there's an extra to the team. In this 'verse, she's been there the whole time and has tagged along. She isn't met in this chapter. Enjoy! Blue Exorcist doesn't belong to me. Trust me, there'd be more fanservice if it did.))

I took a deep breath as I walked away from where I'd gotten Fabio lost. He was off trying to find some stupid flower for me, which meant that I had maybe an hour. I desperately wanted more time, but that was more than I could honestly hope for, and I was glad for as much as I got. Still, it wasn't much to find out my real name and to meet then kill my mother.

I stared at the home only a moment before striding up to it. I had it on good word this is where my mother lived, and I couldn't afford to be wrong. I was lucky; Amaimon had carelessly dropped her name before, and I'd taken it to heart. Also, the six degrees of separation thing was right: that was about as many as it took for me to find her. I'd been given a fair start, with knowing I was from America, and somewhere on the west side, but that was all. Still, somehow, I'd gotten here, to where I was fairly sure my mother was. Crossing my fingers, I knocked on the door.

A woman with beautiful brown hair opened the door, looking at me curiously. Her warm brown eyes matched mine, along with the same skin that took color well, and it gave me hope as I spoke. "Do you go by the name Keli?" The silence and awe spoke loudly enough, and she nodded very quietly. "May I come in?" Again, she nodded, and let me in to the quiet, smaller home.

"Who are you?" she asked once she'd closed the door. With that, I looked down, speaking the words I'd rehearsed over and over in my head.

"About 17 years ago, you gave birth to a blonde haired, brown eyed, daughter. Not long after, she was stolen away from you by her father. I'm her; I'm your daughter." I bit my lip and looked her straight in the eye, as we were level in height. After a moment, we ended up hugging, and I held her very tightly, but it wasn't long before I had to pull away.

"I have one thing I need to know. What's my real name?" Her eyebrows raised at this and she rubbed my arm.

"He didn't tell you? Your name is Amelia Katherine Gioia Rios. A daughter to a proud line of Hispanic Americans." I smiled and pulled her back into an embrace.

"Thank you," I whispered, holding her. I choked on my voice a little at my next words. "I need to kill you now."

Shock raced through her body, and I backpedaled on my words. "Not for real," I added. "I just need my father to think I killed you. He's been gunning for you for a while, and it's only by chance I got here first. You can live life normally; he doesn't know where I am or where you are, but if I tell him I killed you then he'll stop searching. And I need to go, there's something that watches me to make sure I don't cause my father trouble and it'll be finding me soon." I gulped down more tears and tried a smile. "I love you, momma. Thank you for telling me everything. I wish I'd gotten to know more."

She pulled me into one last tight embrace. "I love you more, Amelia. I wish I could've told you more."

I gave a bitter smile and pulled away, headed out the door. "I can't ever come back. He'll find out, and kill you. I'm sorry. I love you." In that moment I closed the door behind me and disappeared, moving quickly away until I was safely away from where she was. She couldn't get found. I liked the idea of having a living mother too much to lose it.

* * *

I scoffed at Fabio as the gold-green phoenix halted near me, beautiful flowers in beak. "Thank you, Fabio," I said, taking them gently, rearranging them. "This should do nicely as a going away present for my girlfriend, right? Not that you'd ever tell _daddy_ about this."

While the simpleminded demon was indeed something like a babysitter for me, when it came to certain things he became my underling. If I was able to get out of his sights long enough to do something 'bad', for instance, I could lord it over him. He, like all sane demons, feared the wrath of my father Amaimon, and if Amaimon found out that "his precious Moriko" had done things, with girls and boys and people in between? Oh my, Fabio would be killed on sight until he stopped coming back. I wasn't to be let out of his sight, but the bird brain was too ready to trust me.

"Right," He chirped, only a little nervous. I smirked and jetted away, to the home of the beauty I'd wanted the attentions of not even a week ago. Before I could think too hard on my fickle heart, I was at her home, ready with flowers and near-tears in my eyes.

The moment the pretty green eyes caught the flowers and the look on my face, I knew she knew it was over. Her beautiful dark hands slowly took a silent exchange: good times and smiles for flowers and an "it's not you, it's me".

"I'm sorry," I began, but she cut me off.

"Please don't. I know what this is. I knew it'd come. I expected this sooner or later," By the tone of her voice, I could hear the words she wanted to add. 'just not this soon'.

I ran a pale hand through my pixie cut light brown-blonde hair. I'd liked that it complimented her, and that my eyes matched her skin almost perfectly, when we were together. I'd wanted other people to see it, and see it as beautiful. I grew bored of it more quickly than I'd expected to, though. "It's best if I leave," I said quietly, looking down to my worn red chucks, as if they were suddenly the most interesting thing. "Thanks for the memories," I said, looking up to give her my oh-so-sweet gentle smile that she'd fallen for in the first place. She nodded rather than spoke, and turned slowly, not looking back as she closed the door on me. With a breath to clear my lungs, I disappeared again, just to a quiet enough, unseen place.

"Fabio," I said. "Let's go to the beach, let's go get away. I wanna cause trouble. Lots of it." I was biting my lip hard, and the phoenix was being irritatingly silent. "Today, Fabio. Don't make me _bored_." At this, the creature squaked in fear, knowing I'd been raised to be as tempramental as my father, and he quickly coughed up the key with the ability to go anywhere in the world that he'd been given, just to satisfy my appetites.

"Are you sure? Not far from here we could find raves for you. You like those," He tried to reason with me, but I wasn't in the mood.

"You think I don't know that? I don't want to rave. I want to cause trouble. I'd rather hear screams than a bass drop right now. Besides, I wonder if my father's little play-toys will come to America, if there's enough trouble over here," I mused as I took the key from Fabio and turned it in someone's garden shed. "Wouldn't that be lovely. They're from Japan, right?"

Fabio nodded cautiously, muttering "mierda" under his breath. With no idea what I'd do, he wanted to make sure it'd be father-approved, and while causing trouble was one thing my father did condone, the bird was never sure what I'd do next.

"Good. I hate Japan, I think." I paused a minute, realizing just how angry I was and why. "I have a good English name, and instead I've been given some stupid Japanese one my entire life. Not like it's daddy's fault, though. He just hasn't explored the wonders America has to offer. But for me... I like to be in America, okay by me in America." Fabio sighed at these words, but came with me through the door to what appeared to be the ocean.

"Perfect," I said. "Except..." I looked down to my dayclothes, unsuited for swimming. 'I think we should fix _this_." Fabio quickly led me to the nearby shops, putting money in my purse as I moved. I perused for the perfect look, until landing on a great little number: a black bikini with red polka dots. "How cute," I said, even happier when I tried it in the fitting rooms and saw how it accentuated my normally flat, too-skinny, figure. Minutes later, I exited the store with my find in a bag. I changed off in an unseen corner of the beach in the rocks, one probably used for sex more times than it was pleasant to think about.

Still, I didn't hesitate as I moved out onto the beach, avoiding the people and going deep into the water, getting out of the "safe zone". I dived before I could be spotted, and once I was underwater I began to call, using demonic telepathy. "Come on out, Kraken, and play. It's time to wake from your slumber!"

* * *

Rin woke with a start as the words "it's time to wake from your slumber" resounded in his head. He'd only been taking a short midday nap, and no one had voiced dissent when he disappeared off to his room not even half an hour ago. So, as he got up, he wondered at who called. Noting he was alone, it left only one source: the demon telepathic network. No sooner had the thought entered his mind than Kuro jumped onto him, anxious. The black cat rubbed its head into Rin's chest, mewling softly. 'I've never heard that voice before,' the cat said worriedly. 'it was loud...' Rin nodded as he calmed the cat sidhe.

"It was... But it felt far away." Kuro took no comfort in this fact.

'that's the problem! Few demons can call that loud, and they're the really powerful ones! No matter where it is, it's trying to wake something, and that can't be good.' Rin nodded softly, and got up after letting the cat climb up onto his shoulders.

"c'mon Kuro, we should probably warn everyone else."

A stress crease formed in Yukio's brow as his brother explained the situation. He sighed in exhaustion when Rin finally was done relaying the information. "Once we find the trouble the demon is causing, we can help, but until we know the source we can't chase it down," He said, sounding worried. "Depending on where it is, we might need Babelfish."

Shura, who had been nearby, stopped at this. "We're gonna be needing Babelfish? For what?" A smile began to appear on her face.

"Some unplaced call. It's likely in a different country, and we'll need to know the language. Besides, it'd be good for the exwires to finally have them." Shura nodded quietly, smirk growing.

"I'll talk to the tamers, see if we have enough. This'll be for you kiddos, then?" Yukio nodded. With that, Shura smiled and trotted off.

"What's a babelfish?" asked Rin, hopelessly lost. Yukio waited until all the exwires filtered in, apparently called into the classroom by Shura, before explaining anything at all.

"A babelfish is a very unique demon. Once someone's eaten it, they can understand and speak any language they so choose. Some things, like names, don't translate, and the translations are rather simplistic, but they work. In order for it to work, though, you have to eat the entire creature." Shura appeared only moments after the explanation, and there was a dangerously excited smile on her face.

"They've got enough for ya. They're getting cooked up right now, so just wait a moment. I need to see this." Confusion crossed the faces of the exwires at this statement, but Shura and Yukio shared a devilish smirk before Yukio went blank-faced again and Shura went off, presumably to grab the Babelfish. The exwires looked to one another nervously, trusting something unpleasant was up for them. Barely a minute passed before Shura came back, passing out plates with an unearthly yellow fishy, leechy, small demon on them, looking like it'd been put on a flame just long enough to make it nontoxic. Maybe. Bile rose to their throats, but bravely the 16 year olds swallowed down their fear as they stabbed the uncomfortably squishy creatures with their forks. They looked silently from one to another, as if trying to figure out who would take the first bite, when all but the demon-boy himself chose Rin. With a look of petulance, the black haired teen quickly shoved the "food" into his mouth, trying to swallow and be done with it as soon as possible. To the distaste of everyone as they ate it, the Babelfish had the consistency of gum. This wouldn't have been so bad on its own, but the taste was what made it so regrettable: four day old fish, with a hint of lemon peel, some toothpaste flavor thrown in, and an aftertaste reminiscent of puking. It took all the poor teens had in them to swallow, and as they battled the disgusting food neither instructor stopped laughing. Yukio's normally serious countenance became one filled with sinister joy, and the look was no stranger to Shura's face. Once the exorcists had had their laugh and the exwires managed to swallow the disgusting fist-sized lump that was a Babelfish, Shura spoke.

"It's like a rite of passage, eating the Babelfish." She gave it a moment's thought. "Or, more like a good old fashioned hazing. Everyone's gone through it, though, and we have pictures from everyone. Including y'all!" As if on cue, she procured little cameras. "I've been waiting for this for a while."

Before the teens could start a mini rebellion in their anger, Mephisto popped into the doorway, laughing when he saw the sight before him, but only for a moment. "I hate to ruin the fun, everyone," he said. "But the source of activity was spotted. In America, no less! You're to be more of a distraction than anything, but that means you lucky ducklings get to go out first! The beach has already been cleared of civilians, so we needn't worry about that. Now get on, we don't have time to waste!"

Once the students were debriefed on exactly what they were supposed to do about the kraken, Yukio opened the door, using the everywhere key to get as close to the problem as possible. As they ran out, the students looked at the kraken, a little irritated. "You've gotta be kidding me," Bon muttered under his breath.

Rin nodded, but stopped in his tracks when he heard a squeal of delight in his head, something he was sure the kraken hadn't made. "I don't think it's alone," He said softly as they came closer. Only a matter of moments passed as they ran to the scene before a girl about their age became visible, holding onto the creature and laughing heartily. With a gracefulness few other than ballerinas and warriors had, she dropped down nearer to their level, smiling with a wicked face. Her features were genuinely beautiful, but the demonic grin lent only to an evil air, and even her pixie cut seemed to scream "mischievous". And with how scantily she was clad, in a black and red bikini that fit her light skin and thin frame too well for their benefit, she was simply oozing an evil, "take you over" sexuality. A surprisingly long black demon tail, forked and likely sharp, flitted back and forth lazily from behind her... She was the biggest "Trouble" warning sign they'd ever seen.

"Well," She said with a laugh, her voice seeming warmer than they expected for someone doing such cold things. "The toys _did_ come. I thought so. I told you, Fabio. See? Now we have nice people to play with. We won't get bored." An eagle sized green-gold phoenix flitted near her, clearly happy at this prospect.

"Should I grab your weapon?" It asked, a high but clearly masculine voice coming from the creature.

"No, Fabio, I wanna use fisticuffs. Yes, _please_ , you bird brain." The teen puffed her chest out in a very aggressive manner at the phoenix, and it darted away, too fast for the students and clearly not the most important target. In the few moments between the bird disappearing and coming back, sheathed sword in beak, the girl gave an impressively, deceitfully genuine smile. "I've forgotten my manners," she said reproachfully. "Forgive me, please. What are your names, you pretty toys?"

Rin growled in anger, and while Bon flared up too, he wasn't so crass as to respond. "I'm Rin Okumura, and I'll defeat you!" Rin stepped forward, drawing his sword when the blue eyed teen saw the girl had sheathed sword in hand, brought by her phoenix. Before anyone could stop him, he was running at the girl, who only looked mildly surprised. Rin landed just beside her, flaming up blue with the kurikara blade unsheathed.

"Oh!" She said, sounding happy rather than scared. "You choose to fire up when you draw your sword too? Of course, my flames are better," The brown haired girl added, unsheathing her sword and dousing herself in mostly golden flames, ears extending the same way Rin's did. "After all, I match my phoenix _and_ the seasons." She gave an almost forced sounding laugh, not actually attacking, and the lack of battle caught Rin more off guard than any surprise attack ever did. The only thing that was more unexpected was that the smile she'd been wearing went dull, the same way her eyes went from sparkling with mischief to a matte color, devoid of emotion.

Curious and a little more brave than he should have been, Rin spoke. "Why are you doing this?" The demon girl flinched like he'd physically hit her, but quickly responded with an influx of skilled attacks, putting Rin quickly on the defensive as he was stuck dodging swing after swing. Anger seemed to flare in her eyes again, or something more akin to sadness.

"Stop talking." These words were all Rin needed as the go ahead to ask further. Clearly she didn't like it, and he needed to get her off her game if he wanted a chance.

"Are you avoiding the question because you don't know the answer?" Another swing just barely missed. "Why do you keep calling us toys?" A jab that tapped the skin in a frightening way. "You seemed a lot braver when you were the only one here."

"Shut up!" The girl growled, charging at Rin and scraping a few scratches into his side, too shallow to cause any real damage.

"I will when you answer my questions. You're acting like you have a reason, but that's not normally how demons roll."

"Says Satan spawn? I see the color of your flames!" More dangerous swipes that came too close to causing serious damage grazed at Rin's skin, leaving bloody trails.

"So what? I've chosen to be a good person. Who I am isn't dictated by my father." The girl scoffed, clearly tired of talking.

"Shuddup! You're in a place for fear, lips are for biting here." She pulled herself in close to Rin, managing a bite on his shoulder before hopping away, avoiding a close hit. She sighed again, clearly infuriated, and waited for him to hit back, but no attack came.

"I honestly doubt this is fun to you. Why are you doing this?" Rage coursed through the girl and she launched herself at Rin.

"Because I've never learned a better way to deal with things!" He blocked her downward stroke just in time, and pushed her off. "What are ya, my psychiatrist?" Leaping forward, the flaming gold-green girl brought her sword up to Rin's throat, ready for a kill. "This is all I know," She whimpered, suddenly vulnerable sounding when it was only she and Rin that could hear the words.

"Then I'll help you learn other ways. But you need to stop this attack," Rin tried at reasoning with the madwoman, expecting his luck had just run out. He felt the blade press into his skin, drawing a trickle of blood.

Finally, there was a flicker of hesitation in her brown eyes. Almost hope, and then hardness, coldness, again. "You wouldn't help me. No one would. I'm the daughter of Amaimon. I'm your enemy." Rin bit his lip.

"You already figured out that I'm the son of Satan. If I'm allowed to be with the Exorcists, there's no reason you shouldn't be." The pressure on the blade lessened after a moment.

"You'd better prove to me that trusting you isn't foolish," She whispered, finally bringing the sword down to her side. 'Calm down,' Rin heard her again through the demon telepathy, and the kraken seemed to become more docile, sitting quietly in the water, completely uninterested in much of anything. Rin, in turn, brought his blade down too.

"As I said, I'm Rin Okumura. Who're you?"

"I am..." She stopped a moment, as if making a decision. "Amelia."

In that instant, she vanished.

((Like? Love? Loathe? Let me know! Review as nicely or as meanly as you like, and don't forget to favorite or follow if you want more! I have chapter 2 ready to go, so I'll likely update next week. Enjoy!))


	2. Chapter 2

((UPDATE: This fantastic picture of the main character was done by the awesome Sheerivory on DeviantArt. The full view is at art/For-Rainswings-556573133. Definitely check out her amazing work! Hello, and welcome to *insert fanfare* chapter 2 of my trashy original character fanfic! Thought the OC wasn't overpowered enough in the first chapter? Let's give her a tragic backstory and ~mysteries~. Thought there wasn't enough cursing for a T fanfiction? No worries, it'll probably get worse as this goes on. I plan to make this story fun and "well written", or at least as much as something this hopeless can get, but it'll still be a messy, horrible fun. It's the cheetos of the writing world, except with slightly worse flavor. So, like, cheetos (they really aren't that tasty to me, but it just means more for you). You never know though; maybe you'll actually enjoy it! I tried to keep the actual characters as like themselves as I could, but I probably failed. Forgive me, and enjoy the shitstorm train-wreck story! Characters don't belong to me, except for the "original" character, thank heavens.))

All the air was crushed out of my lungs in an instant, and I got the feeling of being pulled through the eye of a needle, every bone melting and every piece of me shrinking and screwing itself up to fit through something nothing should be able to manage going through. I'd felt this numerous times before, but never had it been with such a sharp, reprimanding yank as the feeling that ripped me into Gehenna this time. I winced in pain at the feeling, and when my eyes opened I was back in my dark, dank world I knew as home. Almost all was darkness, but the figure of my father remained worrisomely unobscured, and his scowl was palpable.

"My little Moriko," He growled, but it quickly dissippated to a quiet whimper, and his next words held the same hurt sound. He sounded so vulnerable I couldn't even get mad he'd called me by my Japanese, false, name. "How dare you consort with the enemy?" His voice warbled in pain. "Why would you ever have reason to betray me? What have I ever done to wrong you? I've treated you only with kindness, brought you up to be a great and strong person, and you go turning your back on me! I am the one who raised you, taught you all you know. How could you suddenly forget me, leave me, your own father? I can't believe you would treat me like this, after all I've done for you. My own daughter, betraying me... I've never been more insulted." He turned away from me slightly, avoiding looking at me. Instantly the gears were turning in my head, trying to get my father out of this slump and back to his usual self. I couldn't stand to disobey my father. After all, he'd never really done me wrong, he'd always done his best. I bit my lip in shame, but then a quiet smirk appeared on my face.

"Did I really do that well at acting? Oh, I'm so proud. You see, daddy, I would never betray you. I killed my blood mother, even, because I don't need her and I know how the vessel vexed you. I've learned better than betraying you. Instead, I'm going to use their trust in me. I could be like a spy, daddy. We do want to get Rin Okumura, don't we? When I heard him give his name, I remembered you cursing it. With me on the inside, I could get close to him. I could learn all the ins and outs of the entire Exorcist group. Don't you see, daddy? I'm still on your side. I couldn't ever leave you. We'll take them down, together." I gave a bright, hopeful smile and grabbed his arms. "We'll take the bastards that abuse us down." My infectious smile spread to Amaimon, and his blue eyes glittered brightly.

"How could I have ever doubted my own daughter. I'm so glad I can count on you to stay true to me. Now, you want to get in, right? We'll have to get you back there quickly. Quiet your kraken, and they'll have less reason to distrust you. Tell them you're trying to cut off all ties from me. Fabio is your own, and he isn't controlled by me, if they ask. You're gonna be a rebel now," he said this nostalgically, rubbing my hair affectionately. "You'll do so well. Don't forget to tell Fabio what goes on, as he's the one who relays things to me. Oh, darling, we'll rule the world. It'll be wonderful." He gave a sigh and lightly pushed me away, running a hand through his spiked green hair. "Ready to go back?" I nodded in response, and he smiled, quickly pushing me back through the needle's eye to Assiah.

When I gasped for air next, it was in the different world, and I was on the beach again. I'd fallen, and I found myself right beside Rin yet again. I saw the exorcists gathering, ready to attack the kraken, and I became desperate. The creature waking and being violent was my fault, and I had stalled her rather than stopped her. Seeing the exorcists was bringing her back to a frenzy, and I set my mind to changing that before I ended up with a dead kraken, a creature which could prove useful if alive. 'Wait!' I called using the demon telepathic channel. 'You have to stop attacking them. Go back into the depths of the sea where you came from. They won't attack you there, you just have to go back, quickly!'

Rin was staring at me, baffled. My best guess was that he didn't expect me there in the first place, and hearing me stop the kraken was another thing he wasn't betting on. The kraken began to move back, but the exorcists kept attacking, and I could feel her willingness to fight.

'I can't let them keep attacking me. I'll kill these cretins!' She began to move back to the shore, and I became desperate. The exorcists hadn't seen that I was back, and I called out.

"Stop! She'll go back quietly if you let her! Stop hurting her, she's only fighting because you're attacking first," 'and because I told her to,' a small voice in the back of my head added. I was glad that I needed to focus on sending a thought to have it sent out on the demon channel, lest that have been heard.

The exorcists stared at me like I had two heads, but they'd stopped attacking for the moment, and that's all I'd needed. 'Please go back, without attacking,' I begged the kraken, and quietly she began to obey, disappearing once more into the depths of the ocean. I sighed in relief. "Look, she's already leaving peacefully! Please, just let her." The exorcists indeed looked, and saw she was leaving without a fight. Clearly they were still wanting to attack, but they stopped for a moment.

"You're the demon girl who tried to kill Rin not five minutes ago, and you're telling us to leave a demon alone? What the hell's wrong with you?!" I winced at this, looking at the redhead who said it.

"You need to trust me. She isn't causing trouble, and I don't want to either. Let me explain, please, just let her go safely." There was harshness in the busty woman's face, but she seemed to make a decision, and called off the attack.

By the time the kraken was fully submerged I was surrounded by dangerous exorcists, and I saw Fabio quietly hiding at the rock face, about the size of a parakeet, watching us quietly. I knew he wouldn't let harm come to me, as he was basically my babysitter, but I was still genuinely scared. The exorcists could do me in too easily if they decided it would be the best idea. I needed them to have reason to trust me, to think it'd be better to let me live and be a part of them. I knew it'd be difficullt, too, since I had just tried to attack them.

I just had to hope.

* * *

I was bombarded by questions before I knew what was going on. Who I was, why I was there, what I meant when I asked not to harm the Kraken, what my plan was. I was stalling in unsurety, scared and feeling very attacked when I'd just come out to have a good time. I winced, trying to make myself a smaller target or something, when I heard a voice break through their din: Rin's.

"Guys, she wants to help. The kraken wasn't gonna do any harm in the first place, and it's gone now, isn't it?" The black haired demon boy broke through the crowd to block for me physically, like a barricade, and I paused momentarily. I'd never known someone could care so much as to get between a target and an angry horde just to keep the person being attacked from being... I don't know, crushed? I blushed softly, but listened to the next question.

"That still doesn't answer who she is!" The red and blonde haired woman broke through again, talking, and this time I spoke for myself, knowing the correct answer: The Truth.

"I'm the daughter of Amaimon," The noise level went from a loud gale of questions to the soft, two-faced winds of whispering. "And I want to separate myself from him. I hate my father. I want to help right the wrongs he's done, and those of other demons, and the ones I've done as well. I want to do good, help people. I want to protect the people of this earth rather than harm them. I am Amelia Rios, and I have a way to get on the inside, and know what's being planned in Gehenna. In fact," I dropped to a whisper I knew Fabio couldn't hear. "I could affect things. I could turn the odds in our favor and be the ruination of my father and the darkness of my family." A brown haired boy with glasses and a few moles on his face looked down in thought, and the redhead backed up just a little bit. All became as silent as a frozen moment until I heard steps on the sand. I turned my head to see that it was none other than Mephisto, my uncle. My mouth opened just barely in surprise, and he smirked, winking at me in the moment that I was the only one looking at him.

"While I don't normally condone the picking up of random demons to become exorcists," He mused, a soft smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I do believe that this one could be, indeed, quite useful. Knowing what's going on with Amaimon will be necessary if we want to be one step ahead. Also, as she's been growing up causing trouble and working with her blade, so she isn't too untrained. Apparently she also has skill with using her familiar as well," he said, gesturing to the tweety bird sized Fabio that had flitted in closer. Once Fabio was given this go ahead, he landed lightly on my shoulder. "Her foreknowledge of Gehenna, as well as innate skills, could prove quite useful."

"Knowledge of Gehenna?" The brown haired guy about my age voiced distrust, as if it seemed impossible for me to have knowledge of the dark place.

"But of course! After all, that is where this little Forest Child grew up, isn't it?" I winced at the title, knowing exactly what it meant. My Japanese name was Moriko, which meant Forest Child. Mephisto had seen me growing up, knew me by that name. I had the sinking feeling that he'd use the fact I'd taken on my english name as a way of bullying and blackmailing me.

"Yes, I grew up in Gehenna. I can get there and get back out, but it's not at my will. Still, I have the capability to be an "inside man", as you call them." A ripple of murmurs went through the group, and I saw Mephisto's flashed Smile of Approval. He was sure it'd work.

The next one to speak for me to hear was the brown haired boy with glasses. "While I dislike the idea, it'd logically be the best for us to give you a shot. If you slip up though, cause trouble or try to hurt us, expect that you'll be dead before you get a chance to say sorry." I bowed deeply, genuinely humbled that I'd be getting this chance and trying to be polite as possible. "I am Yukio Okumura. We'll start you as an ExWire, as you appear to have some knowledge of what you're doing. We'll also be keeping a very close eye on you, to make sure you don't do anything dangerous, so you'll be staying in the same building as my twin and I. At the first sign of trouble expect that you won't be treated with this same generosity."

My heart was racing, excitement and hope running through my veins. "Naturally," I said, bowing my head. "Just give me a chance. I promise I won't disappoint!" I gave my brightest smile, and it seemed to be enough, at least for Rin. There seemed to be an agreement between the exorcists, and they nodded.

"You'll be coming with us, then. If you have things, grab them." Mephisto said to me, giving me the chance to duck out, grabbing my stuff. I put an overly baggy large black shirt over my head, covering my skin a bit better than the rather showy bikini I'd been wearing. I grabbed my purse of holding, dropping my sheathed sword inside. Rin walked up behind me, and witnessed the sword disappearing into the average sized bag with surprise.

"It's just connected to some weird pocket of space," I explained, as if that was the most simple thing. He stared blankly at me a moment before sighing and shaking his head. I put the bag over my head, letting it rest comfortably on my shoulder, and there was a moment of silence before I spoke again. "Rin," I said, and it seemed to throw him off. "What?" I said, immediately putting the question I was going to ask on hold. "Did I do something wrong?"

He scratched his head, blushing. " It's... I know you aren't speaking Japanese, I can hear some different language, but I instantly understand what you're saying, like I already know the language. And, I guess I forgot that because you aren't actually speaking Japanese, you don't use honorifics... It's something I don't even really think about normally, but it's just a part of our language. When you aren't already really close to someone, just using their first name without any honorifics is kinda like an insult." I saw him blushing hard, and I blushed in response, biting my lip. I had been really mean to put down the entire culture in a fit of rage simply over my name, especially since I was properly insulting someone by not understanding it, and subsequently using the wrong name.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, words I wasn't used to saying. In fact, it was the first time I'd said them to anyone other than daddy. "What should I call you, then?" I asked, trying to be polite. There was a moment of utter silence before a very quiet, almost nervous response.

"I... I don't mind if you just call me Rin. I kinda like it," He said, and I smiled at this.

"As long as it doesn't bother you, I'd really enjoy to just call you Rin too." I stared at him silently a moment, unable to take my eyes off of the demon boy, before I looked away, blushing hard. My mind had randomly gone back to how this place must have been used for sex a disturbing number of times. "We should go back to the group," I said. "I hate to keep them waiting, when I'm already in question enough as it is." He quickly nodded, and we both trotted out of the den of iniquity, on our way to True Cross Academy, where I knew uncle Mephi- he'd asked me to call him this until I finally succumbed to the cutesy name- worked and lived.

* * *

It was only once we entered the grounds of True Cross Academy and I was understanding what everyone said in Japanese that it seemed to occur to Rin that I understood the language. "I thought you didn't speak Japanese?" He said.

"I don't, and you don't speak English. You must've had a Babelfish, then?" He seemed to swallow the bile that rose in his throat from the mentioning of that demon, and I took that as a yes. "I'm guessing that was recent. I had one when I was barely learning my first language. I speak English because it's my first language, I know you understand it, and while I can translate and speak Japanese when necessary, I'm kinda lazy and won't do it unless I have no choice. Since we can both understand, I don't see any reason to put in unnecessary effort." He nodded, and I gave another smile. Before we could find a topic to get too into, however, Uncle Mephi seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"I'm glad to see you two are getting on so well, but before you get too popular, little Moriko, I suggest you get into the school uniform." He held out two options, one with a skirt and one with pants, and I quickly took the pants before I could be forced into the skirt. By the fact he'd begun to pull that option away at first, as if it was on accident he'd even made it an option, I had the feeling it was the boy's outfit. Perfect. Uncle Mephi and Rin alike seemed a little thrown off by this. "That's the boy's uniform, you're expected to-"

"But not forced to, right? I'm more comfortable in pants. Skirts throw me off. Unless you want me to accidentally flash people," I added, and when both guys blushed I took it as my success and trotted off, finding a bathroom to change in. After a moment I was out, in the guy's uniform -along with underwear instead of swimclothes- and much more comfortable. Right before I left the bathroom, I checked myself out in the mirror and was proud of my body's relative androgyny, the only things giving me away being my slight, shameful bump of a chest, purse, and feminine face. The pants obscured any feminine look to my legs or butt, and if I wasn't wearing my purse, I could've passed for a guy from behind. I'd been told I looked like a guy enough times, and after enough insults about my small chest I'd given in to the idea people thought I was androgynous. People loved to laugh at me. It was no wonder why I'd ended up loving to hurt them; my pride couldn't take such slings and arrows.

I was surprised to see Rin's eyes on me once I had the uniform on, and not in a condescending look of "wow, you have no figure", but before I could gravitate back to him I was pulled into the bustle of other ExWires.

"You'll be with our group from now on," Yukio said, herding us apparently to our classroom or something. Judging by the time, I assumed "class" for us was almost out, but I was still in a group. Honestly, I didn't find myself minding it so much; I liked feeling like I wasn't completely alone. While I did have Fabio around, and he was back perched on my shoulder -he always let me change on my own, thank goodness- I often felt like I didn't have people to talk to. And while I still didn't really have friends, per sé, I wasn't completely alone in a sea of unknown faces.

"So you're Rios-san?" I heard a kind voice to my side, and turned to see a rounder girl with curly hair and beautiful green eyes smiling at me shyly. I nodded without thinking, and she began to speak. "That's really cool! I'm Bailey McCann, and we're gonna be classmates." She gave a shaky smile, and taking pity on her, I returned a soft one. "So you're the daughter of Amaimon? How old are you?" She asked this a little nervously, and I smiled.

"I'm actually 17 in human years. This is my real body. And, um... what should I call you? I don't properly speak Japanese, and I don't want to be mean... Anymore..." I gave a nervous chuckle and she laughed brightly. Her openness was warm and inviting, and it was both unexpected and wonderful.

"Call me what you like, just as long as we're friends. And I think it'd be a good idea, for us to be friends," She added this as if she was used to people not wanting to be her friend, and I cocked my head. "I mean, I have a familiar too, and yours is really cool, but I think mine is nice too. She's a squirrel," She said, and she moved her hand to the shoulder I couldn't see, picking up a small blue squirrel and moving it to the visible shoulder. "She can be irritable, but she's nice. And, um, I'd like to be your friend. If you like videogames, we could play those, and if you read any manga or watch anime..." She continued speaking and I listened politely, but my first thought was simple: 'what a nerd'. It was cute, though, and I could feel the open honesty in what she said. She could be useful, or at least interesting. When she was done speaking, and was looking at me a little anxiously, I gave a warm smile.

"If I may call you Bay, I would like to call you that. And you can call me Amelia, or anything, if you'd like." Relief flooded her face, and I laughed good-naturedly, but then turned a little awkward and spoke very quietly, secretively. "So are we friends now, is that how it's done?" Her laugh sounded strange to me, as it was warm.

"Yeah, just about. I'll call you... Miya. I mean, not that I'm flirting, I just think it's a good name," She said the last half rushed, and I looked confused, but didn't question. Instead, I nodded my approval, figuring if I really needed to understand someone would explain it to me down the road. I'd burn that bridge when I came to it.

I smiled at the malaphor I'd said in my head, and had the bad luck to be looked at in that exact moment by multiple different people, all of whom my age and almost all very sexy. My mind wandered to horrible things as I realized I'd never gotten to know a long haired girl in the biblical sense, and I didn't get to spend much time with pierced guys. There was a girl with some of the largest breasts I'd seen on someone her size in a while, and pink hair on anyone would be a first... And so would anyone with a twin. I had such a love hate relationship with twins, from what I knew of them from a little life and a lot of the internet. I could understand the visual appeal, but the relation bothered me too heavily. Still... I could be attracted to both of the twins, separately, and in this case I very much was. I hated to think it, but the whole "glasses, stone face" thing? I kinda dug it, at least to the point of wanting to see what happened when they got all fired up. But someone already energetic and alive was one of my weaknesses. Honestly, as I caught the incoming looks, I got the feeling if I tried I could probably have my pick of the bunch. I'd been used to the feeling in some circles, knowing that while I didn't have an extreme figure, I'd learned many tended to like a bit of androgyny. A small frown strayed onto my face and dragged me back into seriousness as I thought deeply into it.

I never stayed long in the same place for many reasons, but one was that I wasn't good with relationships, unless having them fall apart was a skill. In which case, I was a pro. Since I could remember, I would pine after someone incessantly until I had their attentions. Not long after, I would inevitably fall out of the same feeling that made me want them. Suddenly the curtains would fall on the full stage, and when again they rose, in the bat of an eye, everything was gone. It got to the point where I'd get rid of the person before I even felt that way, simply because I hated that boredom. At least in my short stints as a single girl I could flirt shamelessly. I disliked this pattern, though. I didn't enjoy hurting someone as badly as I so often did, and it was why I kept needing to find something new, find a new heart to break, to avoid thinking on it. I needed someone who didn't feel like one huge explosion, but rather like an inferno. I needed that passion and intensity, but it couldn't be too bright because at that point it would inevitably crumble to a warm and lonely silence I simply couldn't bear. I needed someone who could burn with me, for the long haul. And, as I'd discovered after countless faces I'd fallen in and out of adoration for, that simply didn't exist in people. Well, I'd met one girl like that, who I could burn with, but...things happened. So while I could fantasize, I couldn't possibly enter a relationship with these people. I didn't want to break hearts with the efficiency that only youth could harness.

Besides, I had enough to do without meddling with romance. I was trying to do something good, or at least fun.

* * *

Once we'd all congregated in a classroom, Yukio spoke to me privately, letting me know this was where class would be held. I was gonna be like all of the other students, just another person. After a minute of all the students talking quietly amongst themselves, Yukio spoke again, for the class to hear. "Today has been quite hectic, but don't think that means you'll be let off easy tomorrow. I'll expect you all to have read the first half of chapter 10 in the Plants as Medicine book by tomorrow. Class dismissed." Everyone quickly filtered out, but I lingered with Yukio and Rin, watching the rest go. No sooner were they gone than Yukio looked to me. "You'll be staying with us. Follow me," He turned and began to walk, a coldness in his step betraying how much he wanted me not around. I looked down slightly, knowing beforehand this would become most of my life, but still not quite come to terms with it. Rin walked beside me, and the lack of an icy barrier between us was something I reveled in, barely paying attention as we walked to my new home.

When we stopped outside of a rather creepy abode that looked half abandoned, I bit my lip. Was it really...?

"This is where you'll be staying from now on. We're the only inhabitants. Don't go in the kitchen, because the familiar there isn't fond of people messing with his space." I gulped softly, and when Yukio gave the hand signal for me to enter first, I tried to move as naturally as possible. I'd seen creepier in Gehenna, and I knew it. I had no reason to be afraid, save the person at my back. I had the queer feeling he would kill me without problems and was only refraining until he was sure it'd be a good idea, and I wasn't fond of trying to figure out what his final call would be. When I opened the door and didn't catch on fire or anything, Yukio seemed temporarily non-dangerous. The boys came in and turned on the lights, and I saw that the inside, while rather run down and poorly taken care of, wasn't particularly creepy seeming. The boys showed me around, leading me upstairs to the dorms.

"This is our bedroom," Yukio said, pointing to the one room the looked inhabited, books on desk, one bed unmade, and the other neat. "and this one will be yours." He pointed to the room directly opposite them, which looked clean and unassuming enough.

"Thank you," I said, entering and placing my purse on the bed. With the lights on, it wasn't half bad. I could practically feel the presence of creepy-crawlies, though. I decided I'd have to fix that once the boys left me alone.

Yukio left Rin and I alone only a moment, but it was long enough for me too feel the need to look away rather than hold a glance and blush. I couldn't help but feel a little nervous around him. I wanted to be nice, and it just wasn't something I was remotely good at, and I was having trouble figuring out why I wanted to be nice in the first place. When Yukio returned, he was apparently either blind to the tension between his twin and I or ignoring it. "Here are the books you'll need for your classes as an ExWire. You'll get a little while to adjust, but I suggest you at least read through a bit of chapter 10 in the Plants as Medicine book. We'll be leaving you to get aqcuainted with your room now. Remember, bathroom's down the hall, and we're just across. Wake up is at 7, though since you won't be attending regular classes I guess that's not necessary. At three in the afternoon we'll come here and grab you for the exorcist cram school. Alright?"

"Alright." At that, Yukio pulled his brother out of my room with a forced sounding "good night".

Once the door was closed I rifled through my purse, looking at the room as I dug in the average sized tote bag, up to my elbow as I searched for the stick of chalk I knew I'd thrown in there some time ago for creating my variant on a magic circle. Once I'd found it, I set to work, drawing quietly on the floor until it was complete. Once I'd moved my bed to be inside the "safe zone", I laid the books on it and lay with them, cracking them open and speed reading. I skipped over anything to do with magic circles and demon traps, having studied both extensively beforehand to create my modified magic circle.

The next time I checked the time was because Fabio had been nudging me for the past while, fully knowing that I'd be mad if he made me lose my concentration. Besides, I'd gotten to the end of chapter 10 in the Plants book, and it was the last one I'd looked at. To be safe, I'd speedilly perused the other books to a similar point in the text as what I knew was expected of us in the Medicine area. When I turned on my phone screen, I was startled by the numbers 3:27 glaring back at me. Blushing at the fact I'd lost all sense of time, I quickly shooed Fabio out of my room for a minute, took off my dayclothes, and let him in when I'd wrapped myself in a blanket like a burrito. I clambered into bed, clad only in blanket and panties, and stared at the ceiling, having taken a top bunk as my own. I sighed softly, trying to not think about things too much. I didn't know quite what I was doing, but I knew it was the first day of a different kind of life. I knew on the inside it wasn't really freedom, but it was good too. In fact, I was more closed in now than I'd been only yesterday.

Quickly my thoughts dissipated into a heavy sleep, with a simple enough dream.

I was with the other ExWires, chatting softly, smiling. They didn't care I was the daughter of a demon, or that my mother was Gaia, though everyone knew. I was showing off my ability to control my flames and my overflexibility, and Rin had made snacks. I felt no pressure to act a specific way, wasn't expected or forced to be anything other than myself. It didn't feel like there was a "them"; for the first time I felt like I was part of an "us".

((Love it, hate it? let me know! Be brutal in the comments if that's what you'd like, or be much nicer than this deserves, whatever you want! The next chapter shall probably appear next week, but no promises. I hope you enjoy this, though! Have a lovely day.))


	3. Chapter 3

((Hello! I'm very happy to update again. It's exciting to get even this far in anything for me :) In any case, I'll let you in on a secret: I know the main character is super Mary Sue. I'm doing my best to fix the damage now, so this will hopefully show some of her faults, along with making the characters from the actual anime a bit less ooc. Also, this story is not as void of cursing as previous chapters may lead you to believe. I'd go back and fix the other two to make the characters work a little better, but I don't want to make people have to re-read just to see what events changed. So this story will get better as it goes on, hopefully. Enjoy!))

I woke at some ungodly hour to the sound of a loud alarm going off. I flipped onto my front from where I'd been sleeping on my side, trying to muffle the noise, but as soon as the alarm was off new noise replaced it. I could hear waking sounds of someone who deserved a fist in the face for how energetic they seemed to be, and some proper human with the heavy, slow feet of sleepy sluggishness. With a low growl of dissent, I began waking, checking my phone to see it was seven, just like they'd told me. Apparently, they'd forgotten to mention the wake up call was some hellish sound. I dressed myself with slow limbs and walked out into the hallway, deciding I could take a nap once the boys were away. Even when I was on my A-game, three and a half hours of sleep could never suffice for me. I was the kind who sought out plenty of sleep, and then some. It felt simply good to not partake in anything for a while.

I gave a warm drowzy smile when I found the boys downstairs eating breakfast, and before I could second guess myself Rin procured an extra breakfast for me. "Eat up," He said as he handed it to me. I was barely able to understand what was going on. People never just gave things to be "nice" for the sake of "niceness". I took the food with a grateful "thanks," but as I sat with them- they'd pulled out a chair for me to eat at the table with them- I couldn't stop thinking. When people were "nice", it was always because they wanted something. I hardened myself with this thought, deciding he'd be wanting something from me later. "Niceness" was never so simple and straightforward, it had to have an endgame. Daddy'd taught me that. It's why I knew to be "nice" to him and butter him up when I was pulled back to Gehenna, though I also cared for him. It's why I befriended the girl with the squirrel familiar, and it's the reason I felt confused over why I was trying to do something new. I liked my old ways, and the things I was trying to change weren't really helping me. Logically, I had no reason to be doing any of the stuff I was. I could have been causing havoc and enjoying myself in that, but instead I was sitting quietly with others and eating.

Then again, I hated thinking too deeply. It only bothered me, so I quickly put these things out of my mind, scratching at my neck a little as we ate before listening to the conversation the boys were having.

"You're caught up in your readings, right Rin?" Rin growled at this and took a humorously aggressive bite, as if he were threatening his brother as he chewed.

"Yea, I'm caught up. Even in our Aria's book. All the way on chapter 5. Besides, I still don't know why you make us study everything when we're only going in to one or two meisters," He became despondent, and I had to bite my lips and look away to keep from giggling at the upset face he gave. That was, until I realized where we were expected to read to.

"Chapter 5?" My voice was nervous as I whispered carefully, letting that sink in. I'd read to 7 of that book, and had the feeling the other books were similarly over-read.

"Yeah," Yukio said. "But don't worry, I doubt anyone will expect too much book knowledge from you. Most of the reading is pretty hefty, and we skip some of the chapters."

My face went completely devoid of emotion as I looked off blankly a moment, letting this sink in before taking a deep sigh and eating a little more. Yukio chuckled softly, looking at me. "You read through a lot more than necessary, didn't you." When I looked back up at him, he must have seen the bags under my eyes, and he seemed to take some mercy on me. More than I'd expected. "Hey, at least you'll be ahead. They won't be able to fault you. Rin, you could learn a thing or two from her." I rubbed my eyes in exhaustion, and was surprised at the open tone of Rin's voice.

"How'd you even do that? Those books are impossible to read through, let alone in one night! Did you even sleep?"

I scoffed, but without spite. "I read fast, and the short answer is no, I didn't sleep." When I looked back at the twins, Rin was amazed, and Yukio had his stoic face back on again. He was looking for any reason to distrust me, to decide it'd be better to take me down before I caused damage. For a second I felt fearful that he was reading into my endgame before I even knew what it was completely. Everything I did had to come back to help me, or I was doing it wrong. At least, that's what I knew of life.

After a moment I decided breakfast wasn't the time to plot the demise of the world or my takeover, so I went back to the food, wearing a grin of pride a second longer. All I was trying to do in this little venture was the same thing I did everywhere: try to have a little fun. Therefore, having someone look at me the way Rin did, like I had superpowers, was completely okay by me. A few moments passed of actual eating before minor conversation was struck up again, and I calmed. This was daily life for most people. It was surprisingly relaxed.

I started when something black leapt onto the table, my eyes off it just enough to only see that something moved. I saw it was a cat sidhe, but before I could deal with it I heard its voice.

"Rin! Rin, did you make me any food? Please, I want some too. It looks tasty!" The creature pawed at Rin's hand, begging like any other lowly creature. It was trying to steal from him.

"Don't worry, Kuro, you can have some too." Rin quickly pushed some of the food on his plate apart from the rest, an offering to the creature, which it seemed to delight in. He was letting the creature take what was rightfully his. It didn't make sense.

"Thank you R-Rin, why is there a girl here?" I stared at the cat, confused and a little mad.

"It thinks for itself?" I said, gesturing at the demon creature.

By the upset look on the brothers's faces, I got the feeling I said the wrong thing. "What the hell are you talking about? Of course _Kuro_ thinks for himself. Why would you think he doesn't?" Rin's voice was hard, distasteful, and I was utterly lost.

"Because it's a pure blooded demon," I stated. "They don't have feelings or thoughts." As far as I knew, only human things could have emotions, and that was only from their being mentioned so much in the music I listened to. The demon's ears went back and it snarled at me.

"I have feelings too, and that's mean! I'll knock some sense into you!" The cat demon's claws came out, but before anything could come of it Rin swiped the creature off the table and held it in his arms.

"Kuro, calm down. I'll explain later. Please." Rin looked back to me, voice serious and face quite dangerous. "And I'll talk to you about this later, too." I raised my eyebrows in surprise, but didn't say a thing. I was completely lost on what I'd done wrong, but apparently something wasn't correct. With a small sigh, I looked down, having lost my appetite and now feeling more tired. Before any more damage could be done Yukio stood up, grabbing he and his brother's plates.

"We're gonna be late if we stay longer. Come on Rin, we need to get to class." The black haired brother seemed about to protest when he begrudgingly followed the other's lead, grabbing their stuff, every movement stiff and aggressive.

"We'll see you around 3. If you cause any trouble, we'll know." Yukio said, and with that, the brothers left, and the cat demon did with them.

* * *

Once they were gone, I hastily forced the food down my throat, trying to ignore what'd just happened. Dwelling on problems only served to upset me, and anything unpleasant was best avoided. None of what had happened made any sense to my mind, and I couldn't sort it out. Treating demons like people, saying they had emotions? That was completely nonsensical. Hell, they'd _named_ the damn monster. It was a completely different situation for Fabio, naturally, but he was practically my nanny when I was little. He taught me languages and kept me safe and did as I told him to. His entire self was different.

There, something more pleasant to think about. I didn't mind Fabio and his bumbling idiocy because it made sense to me and worked in my favor. Other people were far too complicated, with their emotions and motives. I really only understood of those what I got from music, too. I knew love was like being home and sadness was a sea to drown in and anger was an inferno, but I wasn't sure if all humans had them. Maybe musicians were musicians because they were the few who got them or something. If that was the case, I'm sure Terra would have been amazing at music. When she sang my heart fluttered, and she said "I love you" like she meant it. That changed after the accident, but... That was out of my control, and I'd learned my lesson. I hated thinking about her after that.

I hated hurting.

"Fabio," I murmured, exhausted emotionally and physically as I climbed the stairs back to the room I'd taken over. "Wake me at one. Or else," I never had to say what 'or else' could encompass, because it was expected that no matter what it was horrible, and that was all it took to control the simple bird. With that out of the way, I flopped onto my bed, confused and stressed, but more than either of these, tired. I wasn't ready to be expected of things. It was scary. I was so recently freed, I was not in the least bit ready to be pinned down again.

Putting on headphones and turning on music, I drifted off, the last words I was conscious of hearing being the first few lines to "How Do You Love Someone".

Fabio was, as usual, punctual. At one on the dot, he roused me, and before the clock registered another minute ticking by I was up again. I took off my headphones with a calm sigh, carefully avoiding the elephant in the room as I got ready for the boys to come back. I moved slowly, feeling uncomfortable with my living arrangements. To be stuck with two boys alone: the horror! I needed... More. I wasn't sure what I was seeking out, but it was surely something. I'd have to speak to Uncle Mephi about it today. Surely, he'd understand. I hoped.

When the boys were back I was ready for them, as complacent seeming as they came. Anyone who knew me remotely well would be thrown off by the look on me, and it was clear it made Fabio flit about like he was flying low over water, to see me so quiet and malleable. As I walked with the boys to the cram school room, I was surprised to catch Rin's tail out in the open, like some common demon that'd never learned a thing. Sure, everyone knew he was a demon, and they didn't mind his tail, but that didn't mean he should be so stupid as to leave a part of him so vulnerable out to be hurt. Even I was smart enough to almost always cover it unless what I was wearing didn't allow for this. Half demons couldn't properly "hide" their tail, but we could at least protect it.

Upon entering the classroom, eyes flicked to me very fast, and even as I took my seat quietly, setting myself beside Bay when I saw her inviting gestures to the spot next to her, I still caught the attention of anyone that filtered in after me, until the entire class was seated. I tuned in carefully, genuinely trying to pay attention, but had trouble when I saw a hummingbird sized Fabio carefully flitting to my shoulder, acting like he was on a recon mission and trying to hide or something. It was almost comedic. It was hard to focus, however, as a lot of the information was stuff I'd gone over just last night, and so much of it seemed intuitive to me. Was everyone here an idiot or something? Did they expect us to not know that summoning a familiar took immense amounts of courage and strength? Hell, they seemed so simpleminded they probably thought Fabio was a genuine summon and not practically my childhood nanny turned keeper. It was cute, how much they didn't know. Quaint. Infuriating. Before I knew it, I was spacing off until I heard my name called, eyes training upon a disdainful Yukio. I gulped and told myself not to blush.

"Rios-san, since you've clearly been focusing so much, can you please tell me the use of Monkshood on humans? What is its effect?" A small ripple of giggles came at the call out.

I frowned, deeply puzzled by the question; it simply made no sense. "It'll kill a normal person. Really quickly, at that. You need to get it out of the system as soon as possible, since it's deadly." Yukio just barely raised his eyebrow at my knowledge of the answer, but it seemed to be an impressed look.

"Correct. Now, if you'd actually focus, please." I gulped and grabbed some paper, actually listening to the lecture as best I could, trying- and failing- to jot notes. No matter how much I tried to listen for new information, it wasn't anything novel to me, and was hard to focus. I caught Rin dozing off instead, and was sketching it out before I was completely aware of doing so. I did enjoy drawing, and had done it a lot when I got the chance. I would draw my various significant others when we were together, and my one night stands and other were included in that pile of papers as well. There were more than there should have been by most standards, but it didn't seem like a huge deal to me. I was safe about what I did, and it was enjoyable.

Still, before I knew it, I'd sketched a few of the faces in the room as lowkey as possible, and when I glanced to Bay's papers, I noted she was doing the same, but to a much higher caliber. Hers were truly artful, mine basic and rough at the edges by comparison. I liked to look at hers, and she caught my stare. I quickly looked away, writing whatever Yukio was saying at the moment as if it was quite interesting and not blatantly obvious to me. I caught a smile out of the corner of my eye, but didn't press as the lesson went on. I just wanted the lesson to end and be able to speak, or better yet, run around. Help something, harm something, _something_. Just not this bland sitting around.

My prayers were answered not long after, as Yukio let the class out. I practically bolted out of my seat, but no sooner had I moved that Rin was upon me, looking almost as dangerous as he had earlier. His tail twitched like an animal ready to attack, and it took my constant mental reminder that a false step would have me killed to not yank it in an "effort" to teach him a lesson for leaving it out. Or to laugh at him. I didn't really know which anymore.

"Hey, can I talk to you outside?" He said, and it caused a lump in my throat as I nodded. He didn't phrase it as much of a question and rather a command, and I knew it was bad. Fabio got the hint and stayed behind, Yukio watching him carefully.

The walk was silent, and finally he led me to a fountain, where we were surprisingly alone. It was pretty, and I would have expected it to be a more popular place to be. I could only imagine that there were more interesting places at my uncle's school, though. I waited as custom dictated until Rin finally spoke.

"Rios-san," The name caught in my throat, though it came from his. I liked my first name better when he spoke; this felt too stiff. "Why the hell did you say that about Kuro? He's a part of my family, so don't insult him!" He wasn't quite yelling, but he was louder than just speaking, and it threw me off.

"Part of your family?" I asked, confused. "But he's a demon!"

"So am I, and so are you, so why does it matter!?" He said, his voice going darker, even louder.

"Half-demons. And why would saying he doesn't have feelings be bad? He doesn't. It's a fact." Dad had taught me that since I was a little girl. Demons didn't feel. He taught me that they were simply pawns to be used as necessary. That was all he'd ever said about emotion, though, and I'd had to learn almost everything else from music.

Rin's eyebrows knitted together further as he glared at me. "Of course they have feelings. Anything that's alive has feelings. What are you _on_?"

My mouth opened as if I was going to say something, but no sound came out. Thoughts were entering my head, uncomfortable ones, and I didn't like it. I couldn't stop staring at the black haired guy before me, seeing the glare in his eye, hearing the sound in his voice, catching the aggressive posture, seeing "angry" written into everything about him. How hadn't I figured such a thing out before? It seemed so obvious now. I felt like a fool.

"But..." I tried, barely pushing the words out of my lips. "Oh fuck," I whimpered, my brain trying to handle the repercussions of such an idea. My eyes flicked everywhere, unable to lock onto anything for more than a moment as I tried to think this over, overloading quickly. "Really?" I breathed, a last-ditch effort at speaking.

"Of course!" Rin said, still quite... angry. After a moment, though, some of the tension between us, practically palpable, disappeared. When I looked to his face again, I was able to catch something more akin to confusion. My glance flitted to him and I saw his face. Ears laid just a little back- easier to spot since they were pointed like mine-, brows together, a look so close to anger but just off enough that it was identifiable in that moment I'd looked. I didn't have the bravery to hold his gaze. "Why are you acting like it's news?"

"Because it is," My voice quavered as I glanced at a butterfly flitting onto a flower.

"How?" There was very little anger in his voice anymore, just confusion. I felt a little safer.

"That... That's something you learn growing up around others and from your parents, right?" I looked up just long enough to catch a slight nod. "Well, I didn't grow up around others. I've only really been out of Gehenna for the past three years. Before that I was out only from time to time with my dad, to cause trouble." I hated it. It felt so cliche, letting myself be bared to someone I barely knew. I hated letting myself out into the open, baring _anything_ about myself. I didn't want people to know stuff like this about me. I wanted to wreak havoc, not let others know that I'd been cooped up for so long. I wanted people to fear me, not pity me. When I managed to pull my eyes back to Rin again, I saw something far too close to pity, and it bothered me.

"Well, now you know," he said, clearly as unsure about what to do as I was, voice a bit stiff, but also reconciling. "so try and be nice to others. 'Cause they feel." I gave a nod, eyes back down to the ground. I felt too bare, and it was frightening. I wanted to go back to an hour ago, where I felt no guilt. I couldn't handle this. I wanted to go back to trouble and enjoyment. I didn't like this feeling in my body and heart. My stomach was churning, and I closed my eyes tightly, trying to not retch. Inside of me there was mutiny as everything was being messed up by a few sentences from some angry half-demon. I wanted to ignore what he'd said, but it was too ubiquitous. I'd avoided paying attention to the elephant in the room until it'd squashed me. I bent forward, arms wrapped tightly around my midsection, as if they were all that was keeping me together. I was too close to giving up my breakfast, and I didn't want to.

I started slightly when I felt a hand on my back, gentle and calming. I managed to glance up, opening my eyes just enough to see that Rin was watching me closely. He must have caught the look of confusion at this, because he explained as he rubbed my back in a calming manner.

"It's never too late to start, and you honestly didn't know." Though it was clear he wasn't enjoying being nice, it was with a sound so genuine I found it hard to write off. I bit my lip hard and held back any tears as I tried to make my stomach quiet again.

After a few minutes, I finally felt like I could breathe properly and speak. My mind was still swimming in thoughts of how horrible I was, but I needed to get the words out. "I'm sorry," I said, at everything and nothing. At Rin, at everyone but Rin, I wasn't sure just who I was saying it for: the world or myself.

Rin didn't say anything, but after a little he led me to stand, holding me a moment while I regained my ground. There were too many thoughts in my head that were about all the things I'd done, but I was lucky enough to have something I should do in my head as well. "I'm gonna go talk to-" I corrected myself before I spoke. "Mr. Pheles. I have something to work out." Rin nodded, and I went back into the classroom, grabbing Fabio and flashing as painless a smile as I could at Bay before disappearing to talk to my uncle.

((Like, love, loathe? Let me know! Honest critiques, even mean, are very appreciated. I want to grow as a writer, so knowing what I need to fix is important. I'm curious: is this chapter more well written to you? Tell me what you think of the OC's character. Am I placing the flaws well? What do you think they _are_? I'll work to add more as I write more, but I'm excited to know what you think. Have a great day, and I'll be adding another chapter in about a week!))


	4. Chapter 4

((Forgive me, I know this took a while to come up. But it did, so please don't murder me ^-^; Look, I even drew a pretty picture to go with it! (Okay, pretty is subjective, but that's not the point) at rainswings. deviantart(dot com)/art/Language-Problems-558319614 . It's an explanation for language and how it works for our poorly taught Amelia. Well, on to the fic. I hope you enjoy!))

I took a deep breath as I knocked on the grandiose door separating me from my Uncle Mephi. I wasn't quite sure what I was looking for, but I was sure that I was going to ask it. By the time the door opened and I saw my smiling, bright-eyed uncle, I had a basic idea in my head. The easiest part was pretending I hadn't gone through a huge epiphany only minutes ago. The second easiest part, I knew, would be twisting my Uncle's arm into getting what I wanted.

"Hey, Uncle Mephi..." I started, laying the cute on thickly as I gave him my innocent, powerful, begging eyes.

"Yes dear?" He said, voice as accommodating as a rug on the floor, already ready to be walked over, as he led me to the couch to sit beside him like it was just a casual family thing. As Fabio got settled comfortably on my shoulder like a flaming parrot, I went through the normal pleasantries. It didn't take long, however, before he got to the point.

"Is there something you want, my little Moriko?"

I tried to give a socially polite, endearing smile of "I'm so sorry" before I got into the meat of the problem.

"I think I would like a roommate. A female roommate, preferably one in the exorcist group as well." I tilted my head down a little, raising my eyebrows, obviously messing with my hands as if I were much more nervous than I really was. By the gulp I saw from my Uncle, that was more complicated than I was hoping for. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was with granting this.

"My darling, you know I'd do almost anything for you, but there are some things which are just hard to make happen. You don't know the fuss that came from the higher-ups just for me letting you into the academy at all. They know whose daughter you are, and they're a little nervous. They aren't so quick to believe you won't cause trouble, and keeping you with two natural exorcists was one of the few ways they'd accept you. They fought to put you in a cell, you know. I had to fight hard to keep you out of that, my precious little one. Asking to have someone else on hand, especially a training exorcist who is likely much more unskilled than you, seems like a very big deal, my darling."

I bit my lip, keeping my eyes open long enough that they began to water and sparkle with hints of coming sadness as I spoke. "I know, Uncle Mephi, but please understand why I ask. I mean, I _am_ a girl, and they're _boys_. I keep fearing they'll do something horrible to me, or that someone will, and I want a buffer. I need a female friend, so I can be safe." I didn't really think these things at all, but I knew if I could twist him the right way I would certainly get what I was wanting. Something dark passed across my Uncle's face at the mention of something horrible happening, but it was an unreadable expression, and gone by the time I caught it.

"You really should wear the female uniform. If people see you not conforming, they may get and and do irrational things." I was off-centered by this unexpected statement, but before I could try to decipher it my uncle was doing the same thing I'd learned from him and my father- jumping to the next subject before someone could think too much on the previous one. "I do understand your concerns, however. I promise that I'll start looking into getting you a roommate, or something to keep you safe if you're so worried, my dear. Is Fabio being good to you?" He spoke like Fabio wasn't even in the room.

"Yes, he's being quite good to me," I responded. "He tries to keep me on task a little bit."

"Tries?" Mephi questioned, eyes glancing towards the firebird on my shoulder, an almost dangerous glint in his eye. "He should be doing better than only 'try'."

"Oh, don't worry, Uncle Mephi. I only say try because sometimes I can get a little mad when he's telling me what to do and I don't want to listen." I gave an apologetic look, one I'd learned to fake over the years and was just now learning to mean.

"Just what I'd expect from the daughter of my brother. Got his bright temper, I see? How lovely. Tea?" A teapot and cups had appeared almost out of nowhere, the teapot dutifully filling the cups without a hand to make it do so.

"Yes please," I stated, taking the filled cup as it floated to me, letting sugar pour itself in and a spoon stir it nicely until it was a perfectly sweet, perfectly airy warm brew. The day was still young, but I knew it was passing fairly quickly, so after taking a happy sip I went back into begging mode with regained vigor.

"Thank you, uncle. I think I'll be going soon, but I really do want to have a friend rooming with me. It feels so lonely and scary to be there with just the boys, and I promise I'd play nice. It's just-" I even choked up a little bit. "I do hate being alone." I saw my purple-haired uncle's pursed lips as he looked at me like some poor street urchin begging only for a small cup of stew and maybe-if-it-please-you some space on the stoop to rest that night.

"I'll see what I can do, my darling. Just remember that I'm no miracle worker,"

"Oh, but you are, Uncle Mephi," I intoned, forging a reverence that I knew made him cave. "You're the most amazing demon I know of. The power you possess- why, I wouldn't believe it if I didn't know you!" I took a carefully placed sip of tea, letting this level of trust and appreciation sink in. "I'm sure you'll be able to manage. Oh, you're so lovely. I'm beyond glad to call you my uncle!" I gave my most endearing smile, eyes earnest as I looked at him until he looked down, drinking some more of his tea. I finished mine off in the silence.

"If it's possible, you know I'll do it, my dear. And as soon as possible," He added when I gave a mildly upset look at the vagueness over time. I brightened up heavily at this, and it seemed to please him.

"Thank you so much, Uncle Mephi, you really are the best!" I pulled him into a happy hug, holding him like a child would, knowing it would break what little resistance he had left.

When I pulled away, I gave a shy, forgive-me look. "I think I really ought to go, now, uncle. I've finally got friends, and I do want to see them some today. Do you mind?" I set my teacup down, already haivng made the decision and just pretending I needed his agreement for me to leave. Naturally, I got it anyways.

"Do enjoy, my little Moriko! I'll be speaking to you soon, darling. And do think about wearing the girl's uniform," He added this parting thought as I got up to go, a slight pleading look on his features, something dark hiding in his eyes that I couldn't describe, but I ignored the look and went for fale caring.

"I'll think about it, Uncle. I'll be speaking to you soon with good news. Till then!" I chimed as I left the room, Fabio rubbing his head against mine the moment the door closed.

"Well done," he said. If birds could smile, Fabio was good at it. "I'm pretty sure you'll be having a new roomie quite soon."

I gave a bright smile his way too. "I do have to agree. How fantastic, things are going my way. As they should."

* * *

I was riding my success-high as I walked back to the space I was sharing when I passed a squirrel bickering with another and I was suddenly attacked with the fact that everything had feelings all over again. This pressed upon me, and like a building compromised by a plane rather than termites, I collapsed into myself anew, as if the original collision had set off a chain of destruction. The weight of new understanding pushed so hard upon me gravity gained weight, and I dropped to the ground. I looked around rapidly, making sure I was completely alone and being glad for this simple thing.

I was aware of Fabio looking at me worriedly, nuzzling into me and asking what was wrong before I was aware of the sting on my cheeks, and was noticing that before I knew that the feeling was due to my tears. Bewildered, I rapidly swiped at my face with confused, angry hands, trying to rid myself of the offending lines of saltwater that were going to color my face red if I let them be.

"Moriko-san, w-"

"Don't call me that," I growled, sounding much more like a plead than I'd meant it to.

"Alright. Amelia," He used the right name and I let him continue. "What's the matter?"

I looked at him with gleaming eyes. "Oh, it's nothing big, it's just that _you have feelings_!" I spat the words at him like venom, but once he recoiled I wanted to take them back. I'd hurt his feelings, but now I was aware of it. "No, no it's not that that's a bad thing, it's just that... _why didn't anyone ever tell me_?" I gave a small, pitiful wail of confusion and ran my nails through my hair, grabbing loosely at the back as if I was halfheartedly hooking for a handhold as I fell towards unknown depths.

"I- we- your father and I-" Fabio was having trouble, and I shook my head.

"I... All the times I've hurt you. Been mad, said mean things... Did you feel bad during any part of it?" I already knew the answer that was coming, but I needed to hear it. I was sure of this, though I really didn't want to know.

There was a long pause before I got my answer. "Yes," Fabio said slowly. "But," I looked up at this, rather shocked by the little conditioning word. "I always forgave you, and I always will. I've been taking care of you since you were a hatchling-" He did always use bird terms, even when he was aware I was not a bird, "so I can't help but forgive you. Even if I am not a father to you, you're a nestling to me, so I have a compulsion to take care of you. Even if you can be a little rough, I know you didn't do it because you were aware, and some people are a little rough around the edges. I forgive you."

I blinked rapidly, letting this get into my head. He forgave me, after all of the shit I put him through, and almost inevitably would continue to. Comforting me the same way he had so many times before, especially when I was a small child, he opened his wings wide, growing big enough that they encased me fully in a flurry of warm feathers, and he pressed his head softly against me. He said touching heads was a sign of care for him when I was little, and had done it whenever I was upset, pressing his head against me gently. This time, however, I pressed gently back, closing my eyes softly as I felt a little better than I had in a while. After a few minutes, I moved from the embrace, standing up and moving my arm to give him an easy perch as Fabio got smaller again and returned to my shoulder.

"I think it's time we returned home now," He said, rubbing his head against my hair. I nodded and headed towards the building, taking more confident steps as I wiped away the remainder of my tears. My slightly reddened face would remain, but I could say I'd splashed water on my face, or that I'd yelled at something. They were likely to still know, but I could cross my fingers and hope they were bad at reading expressions.

Entering the building was quite the mixed bag of luck. On one hand, neither of the two boys noticed that I'd cried. However, this stroke of subjective luck was only there because they were both enraged, glaring at me with murder in their eyes.

"What the hell!?" Rin snarled at me upon entering, storming up and grabbing me by the collar. I was too stunned to respond, but I could tell Fabio was about to end a life just from the view I got out of the corner of my eye, and I pushed that shoulder back, a silent plea for him to not do anything just yet. I was too confused to fight back.

"You have some explaining to do if you want to live," Yukio growled, eyes stony and body rigid. He wasn't holding them or making an open display, but with the pistols at his sides, I could tell he meant business. I wasn't sure what I'd done, but I was positive I was in big trouble if I couldn't explain it correctly, and soon.

((I tried to end with something a bit more exciting than flat, easy wrap-ups this time. What do you think? Is Amelia a little less Mary-Sue? Excited for more? Loathe, like, love? Let me know! Please, I urge you to give your honest opinion on the story. I'll be constantly grateful. Oh, and if you have questions about Amelia, be sure to ask me in the comments of this! If I get one I can answer using a picture, I may draw more answers and little side-notes about my original characters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.))


	5. Chapter 5

((Sorry this is late and short, I've been feeling uninspired. The next chapters should probably pick up a little bit. Sorry~))

"Wh-What'd I do?" I stuttered out, trying to get a full breath of air as I stared into the face of what could be my death.

"That's our question, not yours," Rin stated, pressing me against the wall with brute force. I panicked, thinking of Fabio, and quickly grabbed the bird, holding him tight in my hand, trying to force him not to attack. If he did anything stupid we'd both be dead, and I knew it.

"What is in your room, Rios-san?" The formality and cold in Yukio's voice scared me, and I was immediateely more confused. I didn't have anything up there that I knew of. Did my dad plant something? I wasn't sure what they were on about.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I whimpered, struggling to get out of Rin's grasp and failing badly.

"Those symbols. What are they, a call to demons? An attack?" Yukio got close too, two sets of intense eyes straing me down, daring me to do anything wrong. I glanced to see Yukio was now holding one of his guns, much closer to shooting than I felt comfortable with.

"Symbols?" I managed, completely lost within my terror. I felt Fabio try to move again, and as Rin pressed against my throat I lost my grip just enough that Fabio could speak.

"Your trap!" He said, understanding. If I could, I would've punched the bird. He could have said it any other way, but no. He just had to get me in more trouble by saying something threatening.

"Damn you Fabio!" I cried, but I hadn't even finished his name before a gun was at my forehead and the hand that'd been at my collar was around my throat.

"Trap!?" The twins growled in my face, and I closed my eyes tightly, feeling embarassed and mortified.

"I can explain," I whispered though the vice-grip on my neck. It didn't lessen, but both the boys were impatiently waiting for further information, and I wasn't being shot just yet. "It's a bug trap..." It took most of my strength to force the words out, the light dimming in my eyes as I struggled to keep them open. Immediately I felt myself drop to the ground again- apparently Rin had lifted me a little bit- and I gasped as my neck was released. The gun moved back just enough that it wasn't touching me anymore.

" _bug_ trap?" Yukio intoned, looking me over, sizing me up. If my facce wasn't colored enough from a lack of oxygen, it would've colored from blush at that.

"Yes," I muttered, rubbing my neck where Rin had seized it. "I don't like most bugs, so I made a spin on demon traps to keep the creepy crawlies I don't like away." She looked at the boys reproachfully, using her puppydog eyes on Rin. "I'll prove it if you need," I bit my lips softly, hoping against hope they'd listen to the truth.

After a long pause I finally heard Yukio's voice. "Show us immediately." I nodded feverently, headed up to the room, the boys close on my heels. Upon spotting a small spider, I took a deep breath and pulled out a large piece of paper from my purse, shooing said arachnid on as I hustled into the room I was using. I moved to enter the circle, seeing that Yukio still had a gun drawn, pointed down for now but still threatening. I nodded slightly, understanding, but shuffled in backwards, making sure the paper with the spider was last in. Once I tugged the paper inside, the spider became lifeless, falling apart to dust particles like it'd aged months in seconds. Yukio and Rin watched the arachnid die, then their eyes trained back me, clearly expecting an explanation.

"I don't like most bugs; they creep me out. When I learned about how demon traps work, I got curious and delved deep to understand it. Through a lot of trial and error, I figured this out. I know basically all there is to know about traps like this, and then some. Apparently something like this hadn't been done before. No one felt the need to try, at least," I finished lamely, gulping softly. "It's safe for anything but creepy crawlies. Try it, come in," I motioned them closer. Neither seemed all too excited to jump into the circle that they'd just witnessed end the life of a little spider, and I had to cajole them. "I'm alive in here, Fabio is fine, it chearly isn't too dangerous. You'd feel it in your bones if it was." At this I seemed to convince the demon boy, and finally Rin stepped inside. Seeing there was nothing wrong, his look went from wary to impressed.

"You studied demon traps just to do this?"

"And the symbols, yeah." I gave a smirk. "Funny what fear will bring you to do." I looked down to the markings that had nearly killed me only minutes ago, trying not to freak out as a thought entered my mind. I quickly banished it, deciding to deal with one thing at a time, but my happy faltered still. The look on Yukio's face remained illegible, but he backed off.

"Come on Rin, we have stuff to do." The brother looked to the other and nodded, stepping out of my circle, out of my space. He gave me a friendly smile before leaving, trying to be nice, I think.

Ten minutes after they left me, Fabio finally broke the silence. "Are you okay?" Apparently I wasn't showing any emotion, but I couldn't stop staring at the circle. I didn't want to break down. I'd done that once already today, that was enough. I knew I shouldn't cry twice for the same thing, and yet...

"No," my voice was broken again, and Fabio gently guided me to sit on the bed as my eyes got watery with the beginnings of tears all over again. "If everything feels... I just killed something. Dying hurts, doesn't it?" I looked to Fabio and saw his conflicting emotions. He wanted to say no to comfort me, but he hated lying. He was bad at it. "Of course," I muttered, tears beginning to fall. "Of course it hurts. And I just kill things because I don't like them. What kind of monster am I?" My voice cracked again as I curled into a ball, quickly being sheltered by the bird once more, even if my tears burned him.

"I wish I could just forget that things feel," I whimpered, unable to cope with all I'd done crashing down on me. Every time I pushed an animal out of the way when it begged for food, every time I'd broken another heart without really caring, every time I'd done something regardless of others. I didn't want to deal with this all at once. I couldn't deal with all of this at once. With my mind thoroughly unsettled and my heart aching for all the wrongs I couldn't right, I fell into a fitful, teary sleep.

((Tell me what you think! A comment is worth so much to me. Besides, I'd love to answer any questions had. Hopefully I'll update by next Saturday. Enjoy!))


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